A Tale of Orange Blossoms
by Elisafairy
Summary: A story about one's thirst for power and how a sleepy village came to ruin, told through a diary and the orange trees of the town. Not your typical Animal Crossing town... I wasn't sure what genre to label this as exactly...


_A/N: Okay, so it's kind of a bizarre story… Not your typical A/C story, I think! The idea just kind of popped into my head one day, I'm not really sure where it came from, but I hope you enjoy it…_

_**A Tale of Orange Blossoms**_

Rain hammered on the tin roof of the train car as I drifted in and out of sleep. The sky was dark gray, but a tiny bit of sunlight just broke through the clouds in heavenly rays. The rumbling of thunder merged with the rumbling of the train on its tracks.

I glanced at my yellowed map and tried to locate a landmark out the window, anything that would indicate how much longer the trip would be, but all that we passed was countryside and fruit trees. I rested my head on the window and watched raindrops trickle down the foggy glass, lulling me to sleep.

When I awoke, the train whistle was blowing and all the animals riding the train were bustling to get off. I quietly grabbed my small bag containing the little possessions and money I had, and slowly exited the train onto the train station platform. Mist rose from the ground, and it was so humid that my clothes were instantly soaked by the air, although a roof over the platform provided shelter from the rain.

I remembered that I had left my umbrella at home and wished I had brought it. I couldn't get it now, ever. I wouldn't be returning home, at least not for a long time. So I decided to wait at the station until the rain passed, but it only grew worse. I decided to run for it and try to find shelter elsewhere.

There was supposed to be someone to help me find a house when I arrived here, a raccoon named Tommy, but I didn't see anyone fitting the description around here. He must have forgotten our appointment. I ran down the steps of the train station, out into the rain, glad for the little shelter my hat provided for my head. I was in a small town square where four houses sat around a bulletin board. All of them looked abandoned, and pretty run down.

_One of these is probably the house that raccoon was going to try to put me in. I'm sure he won't mind if I just go inside to get out of the rain while I wait for him._

I walked over to the one that looked the least dilapidated and peered in the window, but there was too much dust and cobwebs on the inside of the glass to see in. I tried the grubby brass doorknob and was surprised to find that it was unlocked, so I tiptoed inside.

It was huge inside, bigger than it looked on the outside, with stairs leading down into a basement and up to another floor. There was a dusty old wardrobe, and white, ghost-like curtains blowing a bit in the draft, but other than that, there was no other furniture, so the huge room looked very empty. I took a few steps and my footsteps echoed eerily on the hardwood floor.

Suddenly, I heard a small stirring that made my heart stop. I gasped and spun around to see what had made the sound. In the very far right corner, hidden in shadow, was a bed. And in the bed was a very old woman, asleep.

She opened her eyes in a flash and I jumped back with a squeak.

She sat up in bed and chuckled a little. "I didn't mean to frighten you dear," she said with a dusty, cracked voice. "You were just trying to get out of the rain and didn't know anyone lived here, weren't you?"

I nodded silently.

"Come, come," she said, patting the side of the bed. I walked over to stand at her side. "What brings you to this old town? There's nothing for a young person like you here."

"They're o-offering free land and housing t-to young people who are willing to be the first humans to settle an Animal town. I, ah… didn't know there was already a human living here. They told me I'd be the first." I fidgeted a bit, embarrassed at my mistake.

The old woman shook her head. "Doesn't surprise me one bit. They've all forgotten about me by now! Can't say I blame them, though."

"…Why?"

"It's a long story my dear, but I've been waiting for someone to tell it to." She grew quiet as she said, "All these years without a fellow human to talk to…" She held my hand in silence for a long time.

Finally, she snapped out of it and pointed at the wardrobe with a shaking hand. "There, in that bottom drawer. You'll find a journal in it. Bring it here."

I did as she asked. It was a small paperback diary, faded blue, with orange stripes on the front, waterdamaged with yellow-brown splotches dotting the paper.

"That is for you," she said. "I want you to read the whole thing." She closed her eyes. "I am going back to sleep now, but you may stay here until the rain stops if you like. I would be glad of the company."

I held the journal in my hands, looking down at it for a moment, listening to the rain on the roof. The yellowed paper made my hands itch, and I sneezed once. Then I went and sat down on the floor under a window, where a small patch of watery light came into the dark room. I opened the notebook and began to read.


End file.
